Android Studio Meerkat is officially here — and it’s more than just a cute name. This release introduces powerful updates that aim to speed up development, enhance debugging, and improve the overall Jetpack Compose experience. Whether you’re building complex apps or just starting out, Meerkat brings features that can seriously boost your productivity.

Let’s explore the 10 most game-changing features you absolutely must know.

1. Live Edit for Jetpack Compose Is Now Stable

Live Edit is no longer experimental! You can now see real-time changes in Compose previews or even on a device/emulator without restarting the app. This drastically speeds up your UI development workflow.

No more rebuilding. Just tweak and watch it update live.

2. IntelliJ Platform Upgrade (2023.3)

Meerkat includes the IntelliJ IDE platform version 2023.3, bringing in:

• Smarter code completion
• Better navigation tools
• Performance enhancements

This makes the entire experience smoother and more intelligent, especially with Kotlin and Gradle support.

3. Device Mirroring (Now on Stable)

You can now mirror a physical device’s screen directly inside Android Studio — wirelessly or via USB. Use it to:

• Interact with your app in real time
• Drag and drop files
• Take screenshots and screen recordings

Super useful for quick testing and demos.

4. Improved Compose State Inspection

The Compose State Inspector is now more powerful, letting you:

• View recompositions
• Understand state relationships
• Debug UI performance issues with clarity

No more guessing which state triggered a recomposition!

5. Updated Profiler UI

Performance profiling got a visual refresh with:

• Cleaner timeline views
• Easier navigation between CPU, memory, and network usage
• Better flame graphs

Perfect for finding those sneaky bottlenecks.

6. Version Catalog Support in New Project Wizard

Using libs.versions.toml? You’re in luck. Meerkat’s New Project Wizard now supports Version Catalogs out of the box. This helps:

• Keep dependencies consistent
• Share versions across modules
• Simplify upgrades

7. Updated Layout Inspector for Compose

Compose developers can now enjoy:

• Enhanced real-time tree views
• Better performance when inspecting deep hierarchies
• A cleaner UI for navigating views and modifiers

This turns debugging complex UIs into a visual breeze.

8. AI-Powered Code Suggestions (Experimental)

Meerkat brings in early-stage AI code assistance features — like smart suggestions, code completions, and intent-aware quick fixes.

Experimental, but promising! Great for productivity bursts or learning APIs.

9. Gradle Sync & Build Speed Improvements

Google has optimized how Meerkat interacts with Gradle:

• Faster sync times
• Reduced memory usage
• Improved project indexing

The result? Less waiting, more coding.

10. Enhanced Privacy Sandbox Tools

If you’re developing apps that integrate with the Privacy Sandbox on Android, Meerkat introduces new SDK Runtime tools to:

• Inspect runtime behavior
• Debug SDK communications
• Ensure privacy-first design patterns

Conclusion

Android Studio Meerkat isn’t just a minor update — it’s a leap forward in usability, performance, and Jetpack Compose support. From Live Edit going stable to device mirroring and AI-assisted coding, this release is packed with value.

So if you haven’t upgraded yet, now is the time to install Meerkat and explore these productivity-boosting features.